The walnut
family includes about 40 species of trees that are widely scattered throughout
the forests of the Northern Hemisphere. This family is well represented
in the south by walnuts, hickories, and pecan.

Click on the links below for introductions
to some of the trees of this family:

The black walnut is a large tree, 70-100 feet in height, 2-4 feet in
diameter. In dense stands, it commonly produces a long, clear bole
that supports a small, narrow, open crown. Grown in the open, it
develops a short trunk and a massive, spreading crown. The root system
of this tree is deep and widespread.

Fruit is an ovoid nut, 1.5-2.25 inches in diameter. This nut
is enclosed in a thick, succulent, yellowish-green husk. The seed
is oily, sweet, and edible.

Twigs

The twigs are stout, brown to orange-brown. The pith is yellowish-gray
and chambered.

Bark

The bark is gray-brown to nearly black, sometimes with a purplish or
reddish-brown tinge. The bark becomes fissured. On large trees,
it is deeply furrowed between sharp or broadly rounded ridges.

Habitat

The black walnut grows on deep, moist, fertile soils of bottomlands
and gentle slopes, where it occurs as an occasional tree in association
with other hardwoods. It is found from Massachusetts through southern
Ontario, to central Nebraska; south to Texas, Georgia, and northern Florida.

Use

The black walnut has long been recognized as one of the most valuable
North American trees. Unfortunately, ruthless cutting has caused
its almost complete extinction in certain areas. American colonists
used the wood for fence rails and fuel. The master craftsmen of Queen
Anne discovered the wood's excellent potential in cabinetry during Colonial
times. During the civil war, the wood was used in the manufacture
of gunstocks. Later in the First and Second World Wars, it was used for
both gunstocks and airplane propellers. Today, it is the most popular
wood used for fabricating solid and veneer furniture.

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of this tree (use the "Back" function to return here):

The pignut hickory is a medium-sized tree, reaching 60-80 feet in height,
1-2 feet in diameter. It has a long, clear bole that spreads into
a narrow, oblong crown.

Leaves

Leaves are pinnately compound, alternate, and deciduous. The leaves
are 8-12 inches long, with 5-7 sessile leaflets. The leaflets are
oval and tapered, 4-6 inches long, about 2-3 inches wide, with long-tapered
acute apices. The terminal leaflet is the largest. Leaf bases
are usually rounded. Leaflet margins are finely serrate. Leaflet
surfaces are yellow-green and glabrous above, paler and glabrous below,
occasionally pubescent along the midrib. The rachis are slender,
smooth and glabrous.

Flowers

The flowers of this tree are unisexual.

Fruit

Fruit is a pear-shaped nut, about 1.25 inch long. The nut is
thick-walled, unridged, compressed, and is incased in a thin husk.
The seed is small and is usually sweet. Click on the link below to
see a photograph of the leaves and fruit of this tree:

Twigs

The twigs are stout, reddish-brown, and glabrous. The pith is
homogeneous.

Bark

The bark is deeply furrowed between narrow, interlacing ridges, which
are often scaly at the surface.

Habitat

The pignut hickory grows on upland slopes and ridges in association
with other oaks and hickories. In the south is sometimes found in
association with bottomland hardwoods. It is found from southwestern
Vermont through New York to southern Michigan; south through central Illinois
to Louisiana; in the east its range extends south along the coast to Virginia,
then along the Piedmont and to the deep south, where it is found in Georgia,
Alabama, Florida, and Mississippi.

Use

The wood from this tree is used for handle stock, basketry, and agricultural
implements. The wood makes excellent fuel, and the nuts are edible.

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of this tree (use the "Back" function to return here):

The pecan hickory is a large tree, reaching 100-140 feet in height,
3-4 feet in diameter. It has a long, clear bole that spreads into
a narrow, pyramidal crown.

Leaves

Leaves are pinnately compound, alternate, and deciduous. The leaves
are 10-29 inches long, with 9-17 sessile or nearly sessile leaflets.
The leaflets are oval to elliptical and tapered, 4-8 inches long, about
1-2 inches wide, with long-tapered acute apices. Leaflet bases are
unequally rounded or wedge-shaped. Leaflet margins are serrate or
doubly serrate. Leaflet surfaces are dark yellow-green and glabrous
above, paler and at first pubescent below. The rachis are slender,
smooth and glabrous or somewhat pubescent.

Flowers

The flowers of this tree are unisexual.

Fruit

Fruit is an elliptical nut, enclosed in a thin-skinned husk, 4-winged
from base to tip, and in clusters of 3-12. The nut is reddish-brown,
thin-shelled, 1.5-2.5 inches long, and smooth or slightly ridged.
The seed is deeply 2-grooved and sweet.

Twigs

The twigs are stout, reddish-brown, and glabrous. The pith is
homogeneous.

Bark

The bark is moderately thick, light brown or grayish-brown, and is divided
by narrow fissures into flattened, scaly, interlacing ridges.

Habitat

The pecan hickory grows on rich, moist soils of well-drained river bottoms.
It usually occurs as an occasional tree in association with sweet gum,
American elm, persimmon, honeylocust, hackberry, poplars, and water oak.
It is found from southwestern Indiana to southeastern Iowa; south through
western Tennessee to northern Florida, and south and west through southern
Kansas to east central Texas. It also grows in the mountains of Mexico.

Use

The pecan hickory is widely planted throughout the south as both an
ornamental and for fruit production. Several "papershell" varieties
have superior flavor and are widely cultivated in the southern states as
far north as Virginia. The wood is used for flooring, furniture,
and fuel.

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of this tree (use the "Back" function to return here):

The mockernut hickory is a moderately large tree, 50-70 feet in height,
1-2 feet in diameter. Unlike most hickories, it has a broad, rounded
crown.

Leaves

Leaves are pinnately compound, alternate, and deciduous. Leaves
are 8-12 inches long and have 7-9 sessile or nearly sessile, fragrant leaflets.
The leaflets are oval-shaped, 5-8 inches long, about 3-5 inches wide, with
long-tapered acute apices. The terminal and upper pair of leaflets
are the largest. Leaflet bases are rounded or broadly wedge-shaped.
Leaflet margins finely to coarsely serrate. Leaflet surfaces are
dark yellow-green above, and covered with orange-brown pubescence below.
The rachis are stout, grooved, covered with pubescence, and are fragrant
when bruised.

The twigs are stout, reddish-brown to grayish-brown, the current season's
growth is pubescent. The pith is homogeneous.

Bark

The bark is firm with blue-gray, rounded, interlacing ridges separated
by shallow furrows.

Habitat

The mockernut hickory is abundant in mixed hardwood forests on dry upland
slopes. It is commonly found in association with other hickories,
many oaks, sweetgum, yellow-poplar, and black locust. It is found
in the eastern United States from southern Maine west through southern
Michigan and northern Illinois to eastern Nebraska; south to northern Florida
in the east and to eastern Texas in the west.

Use

The wood from the mockernut hickory is used for handle stock, basketry,
and agricultural implements. The wood makes excellent fuel, and the
nuts are edible.

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of this tree (use the "Back" function to return here):

The water hickory is a large tree, 80-100 feet in height, 2-3 feet in
diameter. It is distinguished by its 9-15 inch leaves with 7-17 narrow
elliptical leaflets.

Leaves

Leaves are pinnately compound, alternate, and deciduous. Leaves
are 9-15 inches long and have 7-17 sessile or nearly sessile leaflets.
The leaflets are relatively long, narrow and elliptical (more so than other
hickories introduced here), 3-10 inches long, about 1-2 inches wide, with
long-tapered acute apices. Leaflet bases are wedge-shaped or rounded.
Leaflet margins finely serrate. Leaflet surfaces are dark green and
glabrous above, paler below with some pubescence along the midrib and lateral
veins. The rachis are stout and glabrous.

Flowers

The flowers of this tree are unisexual and monoecious.

Fruit

Fruit is a 4-ribbed, thick-walled, ovoid to ellipsoidal nut, 1-1.5
inch long, and is enclosed in a thin husk. The seed is wrinkled and
bitter.

Twigs

The twigs are slender and dark brown. The pith is homogeneous.

Bark

The bark grayish or light brown, eventually splitting freely into plate-like,
shaggy scales.

Habitat

The water hickory grows river banks and in floodplain forests where
flooding is brief. It is found on the coastal plain from southeast
Virginia to south central Florida; west to Texas, north to southeastern
Arkansas, western Mississippi, southwestern Missouri, southern Illinois,
and western Tennessee.

Use

The wood from the water hickory is often difficult to work and it is
dimensionally unstable. It is occasionally used locally for fuel
and posts.

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Bitternut hickory is a medium-sized, fast growing tree, 50-60 feet in
height, 2-3 feet in diameter. It has stout, spreading limbs which
form a full, rounded crown. The trunk is often butressed at the base
and the root system is deep and widespread.

Leaves

Leaves are pinnately compound, alternate, and deciduous. Leaves
are 6-10 inches long and have 7-11 sessile or nearly sessile leaflets.
The leaflets are 3-6 inches long, narrow and elliptical, about 1 inch wide,
with long-tapered acute apices. Leaflet bases are wedge-shaped or
rounded. Leaflet margins finely serrate. Leaflet surfaces are
bright green and glabrous above, paler below and smooth or with some pubescence
along the midrib and lateral veins. The rachis are slender and hairy.

Flowers

The flowers of this tree are unisexual and monoecious.

Fruit

Fruit is a 4-ribbed, thick-walled, ovoid to ellipsoidal nut, 1 inch
long, and is enclosed in a thin yellowish husk. The seed is deeply
grooved.

Twigs

The twigs are moderately stout and greenish-brown. The pith is
homogeneous.

Bark

The bark is smooth and light brown to slate gray, eventually splitting
into shallow furrows between interlacing ridges, occasionally scaly.

Habitat

The water hickory grows along streams and in wet bottomlands, where
it occurs in small numbers in association with other bottomland hardwoods.
It is occasionally found on slopes. It is found from southeastern
Maine to central Minnesota, south to Florida in the east and through Kansas
and Nebraska to eastern Texas in the west.

Use

The wood from the water hickory is often difficult to work and it is
dimensionally unstable. It is occasionally used locally for fuel
wood.

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of this tree (use the "Back" function to return here):